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Could those original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the series persisting for a 25 years, following absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? This longevity is in part due to its broad appeal, tickling the funny bones of adults – possibly even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of making Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Vibe

Kicking off with a festive short featuring Paramount's alternative long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film soon settles into a comfortably goofy groove. Its script serves as a family-friendly treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a detail that thrills him as it at last qualifies him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, psychedelic gag: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, like the best contemporary American animation, the true rollercoaster is the corkscrew narrative.

The Quest for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's quest to obtain the fabled pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a larger scale, the movie's visual style remains a charming mix of digimation and hand-turned components, consistently highlighting satisfying, authentically animated visuals.

If its freewheeling silliness will resonate when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.

Memorable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and emerging somehow squarer than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to delight the younger crowd: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.

The Verdict

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a solid addition to the series – and perhaps the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, including a hearty Davy Jones gag and a cheekily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original fans will likely be snickering all over again.

Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on 19 December in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.